Survivor mentors with care to newly diagnosed

Audrie PalmerMidland Reporter-Telegram

Published 5:09 pm, Monday, October 10, 2011

When Eunice Davila was diagnosed with breast cancer, she didn't know what to do.

She was overwhelmed and fell into depression. She would hear others talk about what they had heard happen to those suffering and became nervous. That's when she decided to call the American Cancer Society and see if there was someone she could get advice from -- someone who might provide her with some insight on what to expect; someone who had survived breast cancer.

"That's when they decided to send Molly to help me out. I think that was the best thing that has ever happened to me," she said.

That was three years ago. Molly Cooley, the only mentor and volunteer with the Reach to Recovery Program through ACS, visits with those who have either been diagnosed, are facing a possible diagnosis or already have undergone treatments for breast cancer.

Cooley contacts the individual and schedules a one-on-one visit when she'll bring them literature, a soft bra or temporary prosthesis to wear for the first month or two while healing and shows them exercises they can do to help get their range of motion back.

Usually, it's just a visit but for some, like Davila, there's an instant bond that turns into a friendship. When the two learned they share the same birthday -- July 14 -- they became friends.

And Cooley knows what it's like to be initially overwhelmed by the diagnosis. She was 30 years old when she was told by a doctor that she had breast cancer. Her mentor was an older woman, someone in her late 40s, and she remembers thinking that she wished the woman who had come to visit her was someone younger and closer to her age.

That's why, she says, she got involved and became a volunteer.

"Right after surgery, these women need that reassurance that life will go on and they need to know what to expect," she said.

Davila said she was alone when she was diagnosed. She had no one she could ask about all the thoughts and fears she was facing. Cooley was the first person she had known who had breast cancer and someone she could talk to about it.

"I saw that she was 16 years cancer-free. It gave me the peace of mind to know that I was going to make it. If she made it, then why not me?" she said.

Those who Cooley visit might like to go to church or the store after their surgery and that's why she brings them their first bra. It's something they can wear that's soft and comfortable and that they can feel good in and normal again.

She also brings along a soft pillow as a gift -- something many don't think they'll ever need -- that they can rest under their arm for comfort.

After Cooley spent a year completing her chemotherapy and treatments and was healed and restored, she attended training to become a volunteer so she could reach out to others who might also be young mothers facing a breast cancer diagnosis.

"I knew that's where I needed to be. If I was to have cancer, then I could get into the program to help others," she said.

She's visited between 75 and 100 patients over the time she's been a volunteer in Midland and Odessa and surrounding cities such as Big Spring and Andrews.

Davila said she'd also like to become a volunteer so she can help out the women in the Hispanic community as well and be able to talk with them about getting mammograms.

"I think I could encourage them to do it," she said. "If it wasn't for the program, I wouldn't have known what to do. I would have felt lost."

And Cooley said being a part of the Reach to Recovery program has also blessed her over the years she's helped others.

"It's fulfilling. My job is a total blessing for me to get to meet every single person. They touch me and I know I'm rewarded every single time," she said.